Outdoor Activities

Recreation

The Triangle offers access to dozens of parks and leisure opportunities throughout the area. The Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department is the largest recreation department that serves the area, and offers over 150 recreation sites, with thousands of acres of parks, 22 staffed community centers, hundreds of tennis courts, 5 public lakes, and 8 public swimming facilities. There is also a BMX championship-caliber racetrack in the Raleigh area. The outdoor lifestyle is highly supported, and often encouraged in North Carolina with plenty of opportunities for hiking, camping and water sports. North Carolina is home to many lakes, with plenty around the Triangle area that provide campgrounds, trails for hiking or climbing, and boat docking areas for boating, water sports and finishing. North Carolina is also pretty hunter sports friendly, with the opportunity to explore the wilderness while looking for game.

Shopping

The Triangle’s strong local economy makes it a great place for a retail environment. Because of this, there are plenty of luxury malls and outlets that serve the area. Major shopping centers that serve the area include: Crossroads Plaza, Cameron Village, and University Mall. These luxury shopping centers offer a wide variety of chic boutiques, local markets, movie theaters, open air environments and excellent food. These major shopping centers tend to cater to the luxury market. There are also several enclosed malls that provide a familiar mall experience. The four largest enclosed malls in the area include Southpoint Mall, Crabtree Valley, Triangle Town, and Cary Towne Center and are spread out nicely across the Triangle area to provide only a short trip to your local mall.

A Southern Season, located in Chapel Hill is nation’s largest gourmet retailer. Other shopping centers to consider in the area include: Tanger Outlet Center, Briar Creek Commons, North Hills Mall and Plaza, and Brightleaf Square.